Life.
Forever Wandering
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Writer's Unite - Prompt Submission #1
Life.
Forever Wandering
"You're sitting in your favorite room of your house, when it begins to rain. The pitterpatter of water on the roof sparks a memory..."
A young man with furrowed brows sat at the end of a pier. His hands tightly clenched onto the handle of a casted out fishing rod. For two hours he has sat in the same spot with high expectations to catch some fish like his father, uncle, and their buddies. Everyone in the fishing group had at least caught one fish by now. All except for Jack.
“Don’t worry, son. Eventually the right fish will come along,” it was clear his father was trying to ease the mood, while his uncle took advantage of the irony, “Or maybe they can sense when someone is a newbie?” This caused both men to laugh, convincing Jack that maybe jumping into the water wouldn’t be such a dramatic course of action to take. After all, the rest of the party was having fun and luck fishing, majority not even casting a glance over to Jack. With a loud, exaggerated sigh, Jack gathered his bait, rod, and chair. “Where are you going, Jack?”
“I’m just going to go and see if perhaps I can find some fish somewhere else. I won’t be too far,” he added, “I promise.” It was clear from his son’s tone that Jack wanted to be left alone. With a nod of acknowledgement, he turned back to the fishing crew and left the young man to his devices.
Jack trekked about a half mile away before he spotted a satisfactory spot. There was a wall of tall brush covering the sides of the small opening almost forming a semi-circle boundary, several large rocks to provide as stairs or chairs, and a gentle slope of tiny stones. Finally, with some peace and quiet, Jack settled onto the little, hidden pocket shore of the lake. But right as he was about to cast out a line, echoing bellows of thunder shook the sky and earth. It was clear that storms were to be expected as a blanket of darkening clouds had been spotted at the beginning of their trip. What Jack had not predicted was the speed at which they were to meet rainfall.
But this didn’t signal the end of the trip, Jack’s father was wise to advise him to bring a raincoat and boots. At first, Jack felt it unnecessary but as he felt the small raindrops landing on his clothes, hair, and body, the boy pulled out the coat and wore it over his sweater and overalls. The moment he had his coat on, his phone rang, “What’s up, Dad?”
“So, it’s starting to rain. Did you want to come back and head home?”
“Didn’t you say the best fish comes out when it’s raining?”
“Well, yeah. But I know how uncomfortable it can be sitting out in the rain. Just wanted to make sure you were fine still fishing.”
“I’ll be fine. Gotta go now. I think I caught something!”
Before he could hear the congratulatory words from his father, Jack clicked off his phone and walked over to his rod. The equipment groaned indicating much strain being placed on its reel. A toothy grin appeared on the boy’s face as he grabbed the rod and began pulling back. “I got you now!” He laughed as he struggled to reel the fish, using the technique his father showed him of releasing and pulling. His heartbeat had increased as the muscles in his arms began to work hard. “C’mon,” the rod continued to creak as Jack furiously wound up the reel. The winds continued to blow stronger, forcing the boy to work harder in obtaining the fish.
Despite having to dig in his heels and not cower away each time thunder boomed nearby, an excited wallop left his lips when he caught a glimpse of the fish’s head. Judging from the strength of its pull and the size of its head, Jack assumed it was a larger fish than the average. The thought of bragging to older men of the fishing party with this catch kicked his adrenaline up.
Just as he began seeing the shadow of the fish, a powerful rumble scattered across the sky, which in turn, vibrated all that was below. A sudden sound of crying frightened the boy, causing him to lose his grip on the rod. “What the heck! Who’s there!” Jack spun around to see who had cried.
He froze when he saw a small, black puppy. The tiny critter had its tail tucked in and quivered with fear. Its eyes looked up at Jack, confused and tired. For a moment, the boy simply held his breath as he held the pup’s stare. It was clear that there was hesitation from the dog, but in an instant it vanished as another strong boom from the sky spooked the dog to sprint towards Jack.
Jack’s own fear immediately subsided as he witnessed the pup running towards him, his whole heart opening to trust him. With all thoughts of fishing pushed aside, Jack scooped up the scared, cold canine and covered him with his coat.. He could feel its tiny heart beating erratically from its fear of the thunder but the pup had also loosened all tension from his body as he nestled his head into the crook of the boy’s arm.
While it was comforting to have the dog in his arms, Jack looked around to find any signs of its guardian close by. But he walked around the land surrounding the lake to find no other companion close by. “What am I going to do with you then?” Jack looked down at the pup who fell asleep in the warm embrace of his arms.
At this point, the rain had lightened up its downpour, providing some relief to Jack. The boy gathered up his gear as best as he could with the pup occupying most of his arm space. Once he had everything gathered back up, he returned to the fishing group.
"Ready to go home, Jack?” His father had everything packed on the bed of the truck. He turned around expecting either a happy Jack with a fish, or an angry Jack with empty hands. But instead he came face to face with a tired Jack and a puppy in his arms. “Where’d you find that?”
“Jackie-boy! Did you catch any fish?” his uncle popped around the corner in hopes of further antagonizing the boy. But then he spotted the small ball of fluff in his embrace, “Well, I’ll say. I think you caught yourself there, the best fish ever. Looks like you have a new family member, Mikey.” The look of astonishment on his father’s face left Jack and his uncle laughing, their laughter fading away into the background as loud barking drowned out the scene.
A more defined, aged man blinked his eyes as his mind settled back into reality. He sat in a nook of his home office, his face positioned towards the large three, paneled window, looking outside as the rain that first sounded on his roof gradually met his window. His attention shifted over to a large, furry dog who sought for his attention. A slow, soft breath left his lips as a small smile appeared on his face, “Come here, Duckie. I know you don’t like the rain like Fisher did.”
The brown, nervous mutt jumped onto the nook and forced Jack to shuffle in his spot before he felt comfortable. “Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack. Uncle, have you seen Duckie?” The sound of a young girl’s voice echoed down the hallway before she entered the office and spotted the shivering dog, “Oh Duckie. For a big dog you’re sure nervous about a little rain. Want me to take him?”
“Oh no, he’s fine. I don’t mind his company.” She walked over, dragged a chair close to the nook and took a seat next to them, “What’cha thinking about?” His face must’ve hinted some emotion of nostalgia as he looked up at his niece, “Was it that noticeable?”
“If you had floppy ears and a droopy face, you would’ve looked like a dumped puppy. Yeah, it’s obvious that something’s up,” she reached a hand over and stroked the top of Duckie’s head before she pulled back and stared Jack down. He caved in, “I used to have a dog once. A dog named Fisher. It was actually raining the day I found him. I was on a fishing trip with your grandfather and grand-uncle.”
“I think I remember my father mentioning something about a dog once. I’m surprised he never talked much about him.”
“Considering we grew up in separate households for the most part, it’s no surprise that it didn’t cross his mind often.” Jack assumed that was all his niece wanted to hear about until she said, “Tell me more about Fisher. He sounded like a great companion.” A more prominent smile lifted his lips as he sorted through his thoughts to begin his stories, “Let’s see, oh, there's so many things I could share."
"Don't worry it doesn't seem like the rain will be letting up anytime soon. I have the whole afternoon."
"Well if you don't mind then maybe, oh, so it was the beginning of summer vacation and it was the first time we were taking a roadtrip to Arizona…” the man's facial expressions and gestures shifted as he continued on with the memories he shared with the best fish he ever caught, his once furry companion--Fisher.
Word Count: 1580
The Best Fish Ever Caught
A young man with furrowed brows sat at the end of a pier. His hands tightly clenched onto the handle of a casted out fishing rod. For two hours he has sat in the same spot with high expectations to catch some fish like his father, uncle, and their buddies. Everyone in the fishing group had at least caught one fish by now. All except for Jack.
“Don’t worry, son. Eventually the right fish will come along,” it was clear his father was trying to ease the mood, while his uncle took advantage of the irony, “Or maybe they can sense when someone is a newbie?” This caused both men to laugh, convincing Jack that maybe jumping into the water wouldn’t be such a dramatic course of action to take. After all, the rest of the party was having fun and luck fishing, majority not even casting a glance over to Jack. With a loud, exaggerated sigh, Jack gathered his bait, rod, and chair. “Where are you going, Jack?”
“I’m just going to go and see if perhaps I can find some fish somewhere else. I won’t be too far,” he added, “I promise.” It was clear from his son’s tone that Jack wanted to be left alone. With a nod of acknowledgement, he turned back to the fishing crew and left the young man to his devices.
Jack trekked about a half mile away before he spotted a satisfactory spot. There was a wall of tall brush covering the sides of the small opening almost forming a semi-circle boundary, several large rocks to provide as stairs or chairs, and a gentle slope of tiny stones. Finally, with some peace and quiet, Jack settled onto the little, hidden pocket shore of the lake. But right as he was about to cast out a line, echoing bellows of thunder shook the sky and earth. It was clear that storms were to be expected as a blanket of darkening clouds had been spotted at the beginning of their trip. What Jack had not predicted was the speed at which they were to meet rainfall.
But this didn’t signal the end of the trip, Jack’s father was wise to advise him to bring a raincoat and boots. At first, Jack felt it unnecessary but as he felt the small raindrops landing on his clothes, hair, and body, the boy pulled out the coat and wore it over his sweater and overalls. The moment he had his coat on, his phone rang, “What’s up, Dad?”
“So, it’s starting to rain. Did you want to come back and head home?”
“Didn’t you say the best fish comes out when it’s raining?”
“Well, yeah. But I know how uncomfortable it can be sitting out in the rain. Just wanted to make sure you were fine still fishing.”
“I’ll be fine. Gotta go now. I think I caught something!”
Before he could hear the congratulatory words from his father, Jack clicked off his phone and walked over to his rod. The equipment groaned indicating much strain being placed on its reel. A toothy grin appeared on the boy’s face as he grabbed the rod and began pulling back. “I got you now!” He laughed as he struggled to reel the fish, using the technique his father showed him of releasing and pulling. His heartbeat had increased as the muscles in his arms began to work hard. “C’mon,” the rod continued to creak as Jack furiously wound up the reel. The winds continued to blow stronger, forcing the boy to work harder in obtaining the fish.
Despite having to dig in his heels and not cower away each time thunder boomed nearby, an excited wallop left his lips when he caught a glimpse of the fish’s head. Judging from the strength of its pull and the size of its head, Jack assumed it was a larger fish than the average. The thought of bragging to older men of the fishing party with this catch kicked his adrenaline up.
Just as he began seeing the shadow of the fish, a powerful rumble scattered across the sky, which in turn, vibrated all that was below. A sudden sound of crying frightened the boy, causing him to lose his grip on the rod. “What the heck! Who’s there!” Jack spun around to see who had cried.
He froze when he saw a small, black puppy. The tiny critter had its tail tucked in and quivered with fear. Its eyes looked up at Jack, confused and tired. For a moment, the boy simply held his breath as he held the pup’s stare. It was clear that there was hesitation from the dog, but in an instant it vanished as another strong boom from the sky spooked the dog to sprint towards Jack.
Jack’s own fear immediately subsided as he witnessed the pup running towards him, his whole heart opening to trust him. With all thoughts of fishing pushed aside, Jack scooped up the scared, cold canine and covered him with his coat.. He could feel its tiny heart beating erratically from its fear of the thunder but the pup had also loosened all tension from his body as he nestled his head into the crook of the boy’s arm.
While it was comforting to have the dog in his arms, Jack looked around to find any signs of its guardian close by. But he walked around the land surrounding the lake to find no other companion close by. “What am I going to do with you then?” Jack looked down at the pup who fell asleep in the warm embrace of his arms.
At this point, the rain had lightened up its downpour, providing some relief to Jack. The boy gathered up his gear as best as he could with the pup occupying most of his arm space. Once he had everything gathered back up, he returned to the fishing group.
"Ready to go home, Jack?” His father had everything packed on the bed of the truck. He turned around expecting either a happy Jack with a fish, or an angry Jack with empty hands. But instead he came face to face with a tired Jack and a puppy in his arms. “Where’d you find that?”
“Jackie-boy! Did you catch any fish?” his uncle popped around the corner in hopes of further antagonizing the boy. But then he spotted the small ball of fluff in his embrace, “Well, I’ll say. I think you caught yourself there, the best fish ever. Looks like you have a new family member, Mikey.” The look of astonishment on his father’s face left Jack and his uncle laughing, their laughter fading away into the background as loud barking drowned out the scene.
A more defined, aged man blinked his eyes as his mind settled back into reality. He sat in a nook of his home office, his face positioned towards the large three, paneled window, looking outside as the rain that first sounded on his roof gradually met his window. His attention shifted over to a large, furry dog who sought for his attention. A slow, soft breath left his lips as a small smile appeared on his face, “Come here, Duckie. I know you don’t like the rain like Fisher did.”
The brown, nervous mutt jumped onto the nook and forced Jack to shuffle in his spot before he felt comfortable. “Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack. Uncle, have you seen Duckie?” The sound of a young girl’s voice echoed down the hallway before she entered the office and spotted the shivering dog, “Oh Duckie. For a big dog you’re sure nervous about a little rain. Want me to take him?”
“Oh no, he’s fine. I don’t mind his company.” She walked over, dragged a chair close to the nook and took a seat next to them, “What’cha thinking about?” His face must’ve hinted some emotion of nostalgia as he looked up at his niece, “Was it that noticeable?”
“If you had floppy ears and a droopy face, you would’ve looked like a dumped puppy. Yeah, it’s obvious that something’s up,” she reached a hand over and stroked the top of Duckie’s head before she pulled back and stared Jack down. He caved in, “I used to have a dog once. A dog named Fisher. It was actually raining the day I found him. I was on a fishing trip with your grandfather and grand-uncle.”
“I think I remember my father mentioning something about a dog once. I’m surprised he never talked much about him.”
“Considering we grew up in separate households for the most part, it’s no surprise that it didn’t cross his mind often.” Jack assumed that was all his niece wanted to hear about until she said, “Tell me more about Fisher. He sounded like a great companion.” A more prominent smile lifted his lips as he sorted through his thoughts to begin his stories, “Let’s see, oh, there's so many things I could share."
"Don't worry it doesn't seem like the rain will be letting up anytime soon. I have the whole afternoon."
"Well if you don't mind then maybe, oh, so it was the beginning of summer vacation and it was the first time we were taking a roadtrip to Arizona…” the man's facial expressions and gestures shifted as he continued on with the memories he shared with the best fish he ever caught, his once furry companion--Fisher.
Word Count: 1580
Last edited:
Life.
Forever Wandering
Just a simple, more than likely, sloppy prose that really is personal thoughts that I wanted to formulate into writing. Please feel free to PM me of your thoughts on this prose.
Fires, tears, cries, screams, and prayers
Our world is in a state of pain
Injustice, ignorance, indifference, and intolerance
Suffering through not only endless hours of fear for an unseen enemy
But aching from the silence that has been kept on for decades
Knees touching down to the ground as multiple hearts convene to convey a powerful message
We matter
We are human
Black, white, brown, yellow, etc.
Simply differing amounts of pigmentation to our skin
Yet it's been used to define people
To justify behavior and words
To generalize and infer actions
To compare statuses
Why?
We came together before to stay apart
To help each other distance from a common enemy
One that did not discriminate
A specimen with not even a mind or heart
Yet even we evolved humans cannot seem to embrace everyone equally
To open our hearts and minds to those who may not look like us
We shouldn't judge by appearance, but rather through actions and words
Because at the end of the day
We all physically end up in the same place
To the Earth below that all our feet touch
Written on: June 3rd, 2020
Fires, tears, cries, screams, and prayers
Our world is in a state of pain
Injustice, ignorance, indifference, and intolerance
Suffering through not only endless hours of fear for an unseen enemy
But aching from the silence that has been kept on for decades
Knees touching down to the ground as multiple hearts convene to convey a powerful message
We matter
We are human
Black, white, brown, yellow, etc.
Simply differing amounts of pigmentation to our skin
Yet it's been used to define people
To justify behavior and words
To generalize and infer actions
To compare statuses
Why?
We came together before to stay apart
To help each other distance from a common enemy
One that did not discriminate
A specimen with not even a mind or heart
Yet even we evolved humans cannot seem to embrace everyone equally
To open our hearts and minds to those who may not look like us
We shouldn't judge by appearance, but rather through actions and words
Because at the end of the day
We all physically end up in the same place
To the Earth below that all our feet touch
Written on: June 3rd, 2020
Life.
Forever Wandering
So I started writing this to eventually wrap up around a prompt, but as I wrote the ending I wasn't fond of it. I've reworked multiple endings for it in my head and on paper but I cannot seem to find one that I feel works with how it started. So I'm just posting up the portion I enjoyed writing and will eventually come back to finish it.
Various hues of the light spectrum glimmered down the stone-studded, forest path, from the spores that fell off the luminescent trees to the radiant surfaces of the large, fungi life that flourished around. A chorus of subdued humming could be heard in the distance and embracing the scenery were gentle breezes that tickled and teased all those present. It would be difficult to say that an atmosphere of awe-inspiring magic was not present as the creatures of the forest shined with the same glow as the floral life.
A young doe, with a pelt as white as morning snow, stood at the end of this trail. Tiny, winged creatures resembling butterflies, danced around the captivating ruminant. All was held in a state of placidity until a harsh crunch of a broken twig rippled the air.
Immediately, the vegetation dimmed its vibrant array of colors, the humming was brought to a silence, the wind froze in place, and the creatures of the forest concealed themselves to their surroundings. Everything hid but the doe. Instead it lifted its head to face what entered its premises.
A short, cloaked figure took a step back as they examined the branch that broke. But once all the light had ceased to shine, leaving only the doe with its luster, they lifted their head to see what was shining so bright. A tiny breath of awe left their lips as they pulled back their hood to gain better vision of their surroundings. Underneath the dark robe was a boy, who was enchanted by what he saw.
The doe’s eyes radiated a soft shade of yellow, like the faint glow of a flame from a long-burnt candle. These were the first things that captured the child’s attention, followed by its shimmering, white fur. The doe observed him until he took another step back, proceeding to break a sprig. This time the deer stepped forward, slow, cautious steps at first, that progressed to a confident march. But as the creature moved forward its aura intensified in radiance, becoming so bright like a star that the boy had to close his eyes. He even raised up his right arm to block off as much light as he could.
Not only did he see the power of the light, but he felt the air around him turn warmer. The child didn’t realize he had been holding his breath this whole time until he felt the gentle touch of a hand on his lifted arm. A hand? Since he was a human, the lad recognized the feeling of a hand.
He opened his eyes and gasped.
The intensity of the light that had been shining from the doe dimmed to a glow that enveloped a tall, beautiful woman. But what was a woman doing here, wasn’t there a deer before? His eyes continued to stay wide open as he glanced behind and around the lady to see where the creature had moved to. An audible sound that could be described as laughter chimed from the figure that stood before him.
The young boy tripped back and fell to the ground on his bum, his eyes never leaving the glowing woman. His mouth opened ready to either ask a question or scream, but the figure stepped back and crouched to meet the child at eye-level. Despite the peculiar situation he found himself in, no sense of fear or confusion bothered the young fellow. Instead a strong feeling of warmth hugged him, along with a thrill of excitement and wonder.
There were many thoughts swirling in his mind, but that all ceased when she reached out a hand and gently caressed his cheek. The shape of her hand on his cheek, it felt warm, comforting, and familiar. He placed his own smaller hand over hers as tears began to slide down his face. The flowing, wavy hair, stunning, big eyes, comforting touch, and crooked smile. This was not the first time he had been in this position. A memory from years ago flashed across his mind as he compared the past to the present. She had the same facial features and expression.
As the realization dawned on him, the woman’s smile was mirrored on his own. Tears continued to fall off his cheeks as he began to hear the soft humming of a forgotten rhythm that converged with words from a distant memory;
Oh my little one
My tiniest one
You shine so brightly
With so much glee
Like a bright sun
You shine so brightly
So please
Forever smile my way
A laugh that was caught between a sob and a cough sounded from the boy as he leaned forward into the woman’s arms. This warmth, embrace, lullaby, and love were details he had not experienced in years. The emotions of frustration, confusion, and loneliness all gone at this very moment.
Word Count: 809
Various hues of the light spectrum glimmered down the stone-studded, forest path, from the spores that fell off the luminescent trees to the radiant surfaces of the large, fungi life that flourished around. A chorus of subdued humming could be heard in the distance and embracing the scenery were gentle breezes that tickled and teased all those present. It would be difficult to say that an atmosphere of awe-inspiring magic was not present as the creatures of the forest shined with the same glow as the floral life.
A young doe, with a pelt as white as morning snow, stood at the end of this trail. Tiny, winged creatures resembling butterflies, danced around the captivating ruminant. All was held in a state of placidity until a harsh crunch of a broken twig rippled the air.
Immediately, the vegetation dimmed its vibrant array of colors, the humming was brought to a silence, the wind froze in place, and the creatures of the forest concealed themselves to their surroundings. Everything hid but the doe. Instead it lifted its head to face what entered its premises.
A short, cloaked figure took a step back as they examined the branch that broke. But once all the light had ceased to shine, leaving only the doe with its luster, they lifted their head to see what was shining so bright. A tiny breath of awe left their lips as they pulled back their hood to gain better vision of their surroundings. Underneath the dark robe was a boy, who was enchanted by what he saw.
The doe’s eyes radiated a soft shade of yellow, like the faint glow of a flame from a long-burnt candle. These were the first things that captured the child’s attention, followed by its shimmering, white fur. The doe observed him until he took another step back, proceeding to break a sprig. This time the deer stepped forward, slow, cautious steps at first, that progressed to a confident march. But as the creature moved forward its aura intensified in radiance, becoming so bright like a star that the boy had to close his eyes. He even raised up his right arm to block off as much light as he could.
Not only did he see the power of the light, but he felt the air around him turn warmer. The child didn’t realize he had been holding his breath this whole time until he felt the gentle touch of a hand on his lifted arm. A hand? Since he was a human, the lad recognized the feeling of a hand.
He opened his eyes and gasped.
The intensity of the light that had been shining from the doe dimmed to a glow that enveloped a tall, beautiful woman. But what was a woman doing here, wasn’t there a deer before? His eyes continued to stay wide open as he glanced behind and around the lady to see where the creature had moved to. An audible sound that could be described as laughter chimed from the figure that stood before him.
The young boy tripped back and fell to the ground on his bum, his eyes never leaving the glowing woman. His mouth opened ready to either ask a question or scream, but the figure stepped back and crouched to meet the child at eye-level. Despite the peculiar situation he found himself in, no sense of fear or confusion bothered the young fellow. Instead a strong feeling of warmth hugged him, along with a thrill of excitement and wonder.
There were many thoughts swirling in his mind, but that all ceased when she reached out a hand and gently caressed his cheek. The shape of her hand on his cheek, it felt warm, comforting, and familiar. He placed his own smaller hand over hers as tears began to slide down his face. The flowing, wavy hair, stunning, big eyes, comforting touch, and crooked smile. This was not the first time he had been in this position. A memory from years ago flashed across his mind as he compared the past to the present. She had the same facial features and expression.
As the realization dawned on him, the woman’s smile was mirrored on his own. Tears continued to fall off his cheeks as he began to hear the soft humming of a forgotten rhythm that converged with words from a distant memory;
Oh my little one
My tiniest one
You shine so brightly
With so much glee
Like a bright sun
You shine so brightly
So please
Forever smile my way
A laugh that was caught between a sob and a cough sounded from the boy as he leaned forward into the woman’s arms. This warmth, embrace, lullaby, and love were details he had not experienced in years. The emotions of frustration, confusion, and loneliness all gone at this very moment.
Word Count: 809
